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God weighs souls on a pair of scales. In one of the dishes is the soul, and in the other, the tears of those who weep for it. If nobody cries, the soul goes straight down to hell. If there are enough tears and they are sufficiently heartfelt, it rises up to heaven.

— José Eduardo Agualusa A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

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More quotes by José Eduardo Agualusa

God invented music so poor people could be happy.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

Monsters, show me the monsters: these people out on the street.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

I have understood over these last years that in order to believe in God, it is essential to have trust in humanity. There is no God without humanity.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

When people look at clouds they do not see their real shape, which is no shape at all, or every shape, because they are constantly changing. They see whatever it is that their heart yearns for.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

If I still had the space, charcoal, and available walls, I could compose a great work about forgetting: a general theory of oblivion.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: José Eduardo Agualusa (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.